Singapore beats Hong Kong to claim title of 'World’s Best Airport'

The entrance to the departure hall for Terminal 2 of Changi International Airport in Singapore.

Research firm SkyTrax has named Singapore Airport "World's Best Airport" for a fifth consecutive year over regional rival Hong Kong.

"Winning the Skytrax World's Best Airport Award for the fifth consecutive year is immense encouragement to our 50,000-strong airport community at Changi Airport," said Lee Seow Hiang, CEO of Changi Airport Group.

Hong Kong was ranked in fifth position this year, falling behind Munich Airport in Germany, Incheon International Airport in South Korea and Tokyo International Airport in Japan.

While Hong Kong has been named "World's Best Airport" in the past, Skytrax CEO Edward Plaisted said Singapore was a clear leader.

"To be voted the world's Best Airport for the fifth consecutive year is a remarkable achievement for Changi Airport, and underlines the airport's popularity with international air travelers," he said in a statement.

"Changi Airport continues to innovate product and service facilities for customers, and is making the travel experience at the airport enjoyable and relaxing. This award is very much a collective recognition for all staff at the airport who contribute to the success of Changi Airport operations."

The SkyTrax World Airport Survey describes itself as a quality benchmark for the world airport industry. It is independent of any airport control or input and undertakes a private survey assessing customer service and facilities across 550 airports.

The award is based on 13.82 million airport survey questionnaires conducted between July 2016 and February 2017. The firm said it evaluates a range of benchmarks from check-in, arrivals, transfers, shopping, security and immigration through to departure at the gate.

Changi Airport was also recognized as having the world's best airport leisure amenities, a title it has held since 2009. It was also awarded the title of "Best Airport in Asia."

"While we expand our facilities to serve more passengers in the coming years, we will continue to work closely with all our airport partners to further enhance the Changi Experience," added Mr Lee Seow Hiang.

Hamad International Airport in Doha ranked sixth in the world, while Chubu Centrair in Japan was ranked seventh, Zurich Airport in Switzerland at eighth, Heathrow Airport in London at ninth and Frankfurt Airport in Germany rounded out the top ten.